Having My Say: A Multigenre Autobiography Project (Gr. 9-12)Students compose a multigenre paper, modeled after the Delany sister's autobiography, Having Our Say, that includes the autobiographical narrative essay as well as an informational nonfiction piece.

Comparing Portrayals of Slavery in Nineteenth-Century Photography and Literature (Gr. 6-12)In this lesson, students analyze similarities and differences among depictions of slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Frederick Douglass’ Narrative, and nineteenth century photographs of slaves. Students formulate their analysis of the role of art and fiction, as they attempt to reliably reflect social ills, in a final essay.

Biographies: Creating Timelines of a Life (Gr. 3-5)In this lesson students explore a number of sources to create a biographical timeline about a selected person. Students collaboratively research and resolve conflicting information they find during their investigation.

Writing Technical Instructions (Gr. 9-12)Students walk through the process of creating technical instructions by analyzing existing instructions, choosing an audience, writing their own instructions, receiving user feedback, and then revising and publishing their instructions.

Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments (Gr. 9-12)Students are often asked to perform speeches, but rarely do we require students to analyze speeches as carefully as we study works of literature. In this unit, students are required to identify the rhetorical strategies in a famous speech and the specific purpose for each chosen device. They will write an essay about its effectiveness and why it is still famous after all these years.

Our Community: Creating ABC Books as Assessment (Gr. K-2)Students create alphabet books, which are used as an integrated assessment with science, health, social studies, and any other content area. This lesson plans looks at the theme of community.

So What Do You Think? Writing a Review (Gr. 9-12)Writing a review of an author’s work challenges students to develop their critical thinking skills. It provides an opportunity for students to speak their minds—and to enjoy being heard

Teaching Language Skills Using the Phone Book (Gr. 3-5)Through a series of activities using the phone book, students learn to use text aids, collect information relevant to a topic, organize information, synthesize information and use key words.

Not Your Usual History Lesson: Writing Historical Markers (Gr. 6-8)Students will develop their summarizing skills while learning about local history. They will learn to consider audience while selecting topics, conducting research and interviews, and writing historical markers for their town.

STAR Search: How Do I Find the Book I Need? (Gr. 3-5)Students become familiar with STAR Search, which provides a set of steps and thinking processes for intermediate students to use in finding library resources relevant to a specific information need.

Research Building Blocks: Skim, Scan, and Scroll (Gr. 3-5)In this lesson from a research skills unit, students read informational text, looking for supporting details. They practice skimming and scanning print resources, and scrolling through electronic resources.

Brochures: Writing for Audience and Purpose (Gr. 9-12)Students create brochures on the same topic as another piece of writing they have done, highlighting how shifting purposes and audiences creates changes in their strategies as writers.